The Storm King awoke in a quick flash, shooting up at a moment’s notice as he looked around his surrounding view. One moment he felt his body slowly freeze and turn to stone, with the last thing he felt being the vivid winds of his fall as he could only look up into the sky, his storm skies slowly disappearing to reveal the blue sky, the next thing he knew, he was encapsulated in… darkness, then, he just woke up.
“Where am I?” He quietly asked, forgetting the anger he once had in his literal last moments before death, instead, he was washed over with confusion and dismay at what he thought to be his current predicament.
He looked around, having found himself in a vast, empty void, devoid of anything particular. That was until he saw two distant figures from the side of his peripheral vision, which made his entire head turn in their direction. It was a sight of sore eyes, as the two beings seemed to be approaching him, closing the distance between them at what seemed to be a quick pace.
Of course, with new faces in sight, and likely a new opportunity, he instinctively patted himself down as he stood up from his lying position, the age-old ways of greeting a new face that he had hardwired into the back of his mind as a habit subconsciously taking hold of his following actions. After all, he knew what a good PR and public image could do, it is a means to both securing or taking power, especially in the long game, and gain, in building an empire… but that thought still wasn’t enough to divert his attention away from the question he had since the moment he woke up, where was he exactly?
A question that made itself known by knocking at the back of his head, but he placed it at the side, he believed there was something much more important about to take hold. And soon enough, he was proven right on the guess that there would be something, as one of the two figures as mentioned earlier seemed to arrive in his vicinity earlier than the other.
From what the Storm King could tell, it was the skeleton of an ape, one that wore a cape that hid most of its bones and structure. With their defining garments, it was paired with a military cap reminiscent of the Golden Age of Sea, which hid most, but not all, of its skull. If he had to make a guess, he’d say it was death himself! Which… thinking about it, proved to instill an uneasy sense of fear within him. Still, he persevered nonetheless, keeping up appearances for his sake.
A captain of a ship, maybe even an admiral, he presumed, based of course on the attire they wore. “And to whom is the delightfully well-dressed appearance for? And if you would be so kind, may I ask what you are?” His question was, at least how he believed it, to be delicately worded as extended his claw in a curious but somewhat condescending fashion for the new arrival.
“Not quite the new face,” the skeleton replied, looking, at least where his eyes would be if he had some, eye to eye with the Storm King, shaking his claws with his own bone hands. “Captain of Death’s Men, a courier for a courier, so to speak. A pleasure to finally meet you –”
“Storm King,” he intervened, having wanted to set the tone straight. He didn’t want an introduction not made by him, plus, he wouldn’t take any chances on hearing his own name come out of this figure, more out of a sense of uneasy mistrust, but also a semblance of shame from hearing his own true name spoken aloud.
Shrugging the remark aside, the Captain continued on nonetheless. “Well there isn’t much to tell from that, now is there?”
Of course, his remark was ignored by the Storm King, who found something else of significance. Approaching from the side of his vision was who he thought to be his former lieutenant, Tempest Shadow. Merely seeing her face, sparked something deep inside him as if rage started to build up, memories of what used to be his life resourced in his head as his thought process seemed to be clouded with each passing moment. Of course, the Captain had a front-row seat to what was happening and quickly frowned at how quickly the Storm King’s attitude changed at the mere sight.
‘He really needs to keep a close leash on his emotions.’ The Captain silently remarked, making no attempt to change the subject as he forced himself to watch on the side, what was about to happen he hoped would be quick and simple.
Speaking of which, the Storm King’s growing rage seemed to boil itself to a higher point. Although it was rightfully his fault for manipulating that shard unicorn, it didn’t take away the simple fact that she got him killed, which was enough reason to harbor a sense of animosity, with it being more than personal and pure business in his mind. He was literally at the finish line, and she knocked him out off the podium.
It was a slow start at first as he tried to walk toward his former lieutenant, but as he took each step, he noticed that he didn’t seem to be getting any closer to her, despite her figure seemingly being a few meters of walking distance.
“What?” He asked, bewildered as he stopped his march. Looking around only to again see the well-dressed skeleton by his side and nothing else.
“She’s not here, she’s not dead,” the skeleton simply replied, “while you’re… well, you quite dead, literally died from being shattered into a million pieces, like glass. But then again, one can’t expect anyone to just survive such a fatal fall, a broken neck or a punctured lung could go a long way in sending you straight to me, or to the fortunate, my boss.”
What he said was mostly ignored by the Storm King, who did not relent as his mind worked overtime to process a plan for revenge, one that he wouldn’t necessarily get.
And the Captain could see it, the face of a thinking monster. Yet he was giving himself a break, a much-needed opportunity to be a bit open-minded and to give this one a chance who knows, it might be for the better.
So the Captain decided to play a bit honest heart, after all, he had learned a thing or two from his old life about empires and such. “Tell you what, I’ll walk you through what could happen to you now, does that sound good?”
Waving dismissively, the Storm King didn’t bother to consult the Captain, as he slowly walked aimlessly in deep thought. Of course, this wasn’t exactly courteous, and a small frown befell the captain as he watched the dead king wonder.
“Why do they have to be the aimless type?” He muttered to himself, slowly following the Storm King like a shadow, although he trailed a bit farther back in his aimless wonder.
He was sure the void would eventually act up, and when it did, that’s when his real job would start. That, and the fact that since the void was devoid of anything particular told him that the king had his memories repressed, so he knew dark secrets lay dormant.
He knew which was he was going to need to hear in order to give the Storm King a good deal, but he also felt like he didn’t know what he should expect.
How long has it been? A good week? A month? A year or two? The skeletal Captain didn’t know, he’s been in the business of the afterlife for a long while, not as long as the Grim Reaper or the Bringer of Life, but long enough to have shepherded his fair share of souls from different universes or times. He had already heard it all, from the most harmless of confessions to the most heinous of crimes, and with each one he heard, he had rewarded each soul with a better deal in their afterlife, sometimes reincarnation…
But one thing always stood out when he did or was reminded of such a thing, and it was that he wasn’t able to confess his plight to the Grim Reaper and still he was forced into this position. In a sense, deep down, the Captain knew he was a rogue soul, a restless one given purpose.
‘Become my Courier and well-trusted Captain! And such, postpone your judgment with the debt that you owe dear Life!’ The exact words were mudded, but to him, that was what the Grim Reaper told him, a choice. To face his fate head-on and die with human conscience, or to run away and see where this ’opportunity’ took him?
However, he didn’t get to wander that far into the inner thoughts of his nonexistent brain, as he slowly realized the Storm King had stopped in his aimless travel in this void.
‘About time he stopped.’ He thought to himself, as he made a beeline to the side of this king.
“I know you’re there,” the Storm King announced, refusing to turn around and look at the Captain. “So why? Why is she always so close, yet always a step too far…?”
The Captain didn’t reply, as he gave the moment for the Storm King to reflect. “Have you ever considered the possibility that it is your mind playing tricks on you?”
His question was initially met with a dismissive wave, but it was clear it had sown an apprehensive demeanor for the Storm King. And it didn’t take long for both beings to look at each other, eye to eye as if to challenge them. There was clearly a bigger picture being painted, one has to simply figure it out first.
“So what?” he asked in a defiant tone, seemingly hopeless at his pursuit of revenge. From what he could remember in this void, the moment he had set his sights on her, he ran, he walked, he crawled, tried to be sneaky or even brute force his way to strangle her.
Anything he could think of to get his revenge on her, plain and simple as that. Yet, she always seemed out of reach no matter how close he seemed to have been to her. “I mean… You aren’t here to guide me to the afterlife, are you now, Tartarus, maybe you’re just a hallucination even, maybe?”
Looking around at the endless nonexistent void as he finished up what he realized, the skeleton tipped his hat to hide his skull. “I am neither dead in the traditional sense nor a captain by the same notion. And the void… well, it’s a reflection of your conscience, or as I should say it, your subconscious.”
Shaking his head as he gave “no” for an answer, the Storm King still wasn’t fully convinced as he waited for the Captain to spill the beans right there and then.
Which elicited a sigh of disappointment from the Captain. “You know… you and all the other ‘villainous’ creatures that I’ve met really do deserve a break, hell, I feel some shame in having that semblance of pity for it.”
“And why is that? It’s not like a servant to the god of Death could do anything that’s resembling pity,” The Storm King said, the remark having offended the Captain. “And besides, I’m sure gods are above the material virtues of mortals, so what would you know?”
The Captain could only tip his hat to hide his growing rage. For him to be compared to a god, was insulting. Not in the traditional sense, of course, it was insulting in how he was implied to be omnipotent, which he wasn’t.
Nonetheless, he persevered in keeping his emotions in check. “And how about you?” He challenged, “you are nearly similar to all others, you knew victory was within your grasp… the ball was in your favor… of course, fate had other plans, and your gloating ego really does shine when looking back, now does it?”
And that single line was what made the dents in the Storm King’s facade of control finally pushed above its limits, and cracked in his most crucial moments. And to add insult to injury, the Captain decided to twist the knife, the simple fact, and truth of the matter…
“And even then! You insult yourself even when you had Canterlot under your rule. You really were just so adamant on that staff of yours, ay? An avoidable outcome that was borne out of the simple realization from a maimed unicorn to a simple phrase that you said, ‘I lied’... And where did that oversight lead you? Here to me. Not death, but it will be the case soon enough.”
The Storm King didn’t respond, he couldn’t, not when faced with the harsh reality of his final moments. He really was at the finish line, he had a navy that rivaled that of Equestria and had it beat, had an army of a loyal following, and a great PR campaign to boot!
Heck, he could have even continued the ruse of manipulating Tempest with that broken horn of hers, he could have even driven her deeper into being a hardened lieutenant, a general even. All that, and maybe, just maybe, she would have forgotten about that horn of hers.
A great asset, and if he didn’t have that, he could have likely pressured that purple princess into a favorable treaty, to at least get some semblance of security against the fabled Draconequus, a miracle he even managed to conquer most of Equestria without some divine intervention.
“Of course, like all things,” with a sigh of disappointment, the Captain was hesitant to drop the big truth. “I may not be omnipotent… but I do know plenty of things, and I know the blessing of the alicorn wasn’t meant to be discovered, now was it?”
And yet still, the Storm King did not respond, too afraid of what he might say “You had me killed, didn’t you? It was all a setup…”
Now that was interesting. And as much as it deviated from his question, it piqued his interest enough for him to care. “Why and what made you say that now?”
“T-the curse, it really did happen…” franticness started to creep into his voice, “t-they unleashed you… to keep their secrets, and to end what was supposed to be my reign.”
The Captain frowned, it didn’t quite fill him, and other than the fact that he was stalling his answer to his previous question, well, he won’t let it slide.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” he lied, “but either way, you’re going to spend the rest of eternity in unrest or should you decide to act, let the souls you’ve damned hear what they need to hear.”
The options are clear and laid out for him, add to the fact that there was a clear implication that the Storm King would actually meet someone, it was clear he had to choose carefully between morals and an oath. Regardless, the Captain will fulfill his orders in the aftermath.
“W-what if it’s a ruse? W-what if it’s all a lie?” he asked, the quivering voice reflecting just how apprehensive and fearful the king was, could he keep his resolve in check and suppress the trembling he was experiencing under the pressure of facts?
The Captain didn’t need to know, nor did he care to know a simple fact. But, he was interested in how he would perceive an… opportunity. A brief stare down between the two communicated that unyielding fact, it was up to the Storm King to decide, and it was his due time.
“I ask again, either you are willing to say your peace, or spend the rest of eternity on the contrary.” And although he didn’t tell him aloud, the Captain did have some plans in store if the Storm King proved himself to him.
The moments of hesitation felt like an eternity for the Storm King and could have very well been the case. His heart pounded as he felt the telltale signs of fear begin to crop up. He was in deep thought, trying to figure out what choice would give him the better outcome.
“You know about my secret…” the Storm King accidentally muttered aloud, “t-this obsession with the Alicorn Race, d-divine intervention, a power that could be wielded, but was not supposed to be harnessed by anyone…”
The Captain frowned at what he heard. He was getting rusty, was he really that obvious? Well, subtleties weren’t his forte, but it would come as a surprise to him how the Storm King chose to approach him.
“I-if you give me a chance, please. Let me discover it,” he said in a near desperate tone, “I could figure it out, just give me time. All I need is time and I’ll right my wrongs! TARTARUS! I KNOW IT DECAYS, I just can’t prove it!”
The Captain tried his hardest to keep a straight fast, but it increasingly became harder as he realized just how deep the Storm King was in his endeavor of knowledge and conquest. “And if you abuse that opportunity?”
“But what if I won’t.” He simply retorted.
Don’t play cot, life is much more complicated than that, after all, “Isn’t life a test? Isn’t it a test about the behavior, the choices that beings alive, like what you used to, would make? If history and erratic behaviors are to go by, then I’d rather have you remain ignorant right here and now.”
The Storm King could only relent, he was backed into a corner. “B-but… then you’d know I’m not one to be left in the dark. I started something, and I intended to finish it! I was so close to figuring out the alicorn blessing and magic as a whole with it. Of course, I’d want to finish something this monumental! I can’t let all the dead go to waste! Especially those hippogriffs who caught wind of my studies and tried to stall it.”
“And…?” He asked, choosing to feign ignorance knowing full well where this conversation was about to go.
He looked at the Captain, and with a single breath, he steeled his resolve as he gave his final say. “I was… cursed for it, berated and called a liar for the truth of power that I knew. Everyone around told me to remain ignorant, to let myself be content with the simple fact of the unexplained nature of magic. And that’s when I realized, only I could do it, change the world with my knowledge, only I could do what everyone else can’t.”
The seemingly self-rightness tone was starting to drip into his tone, and the Captain didn’t like it one bit, but he still refrained from objecting, hoping that the Storm King could remain ignorant, if nothing else, at least show some form of interest in moving forward.
“So, I swore that I’d die doing something of note, of change, rather than let the world continue without my name. And the hippogriffs? I killed every last one of them because they knew they were a loose cannon, the realization, a problem that shouldn’t go unresolved. Yet… I was still killed in a selfless act of defiance before I could finally cement my…”
The Storm King could only contemplate, his face churned and turned as different emotions raced through his thought process. But before he could speak again, he looked towards the Captain, and dread was building up as he saw a frown befell the Captain with each passing moment, as the Captain himself spoke his next words with a hint of contempt. “You didn’t speak your peace with truth, your conscience isn’t clear. And you are stuck looking at the past trying to fix a fractured statue, instead of trying to move forward and building something new that encapsulates what it meant.”
“Then what do you want to hear?” he asked, pleading, near begging at the chance to give himself a bit more time to discover
The Captain did not respond, only staring blankly back at him, letting the void present in his eyes sockets make the statement. “Decay…”
The Storm King could only remain silent, the gravity of what the Captain said initially having failed to deliver its grimness. Yet he did not relent, as past memories involuntarily began to resurface. With the most prominent of which are the faces of those he trusted.
“A dark secret that hides something darker in its shadow. You treaded on cursed knowledge, my friend. Unable to move past such fixation on forbidden knowledge that you have changed into something else than your original intention.”
“W-why?” he asked skeptically. “I answered your question!”
“The fact of the matter is… you confessed the fact that you are cursed with knowledge, repented for it you haven’t. Your instincts prevent you from admitting your fault in the sea of success you’ve had, be it right or wrong is irrelevant. And for that, for the pursuit of forbidden knowledge, and crimes as of yet to your world unspoken off, there is a place beyond Tartarus waiting for you… but, I am personally disappointed by one fact…”
A tense silence befell the both of them, with the Storm King being slow on the catch and the Captain having to spell it out for him.
“That Lie of Omission…” And in front of the Captain of Death nonetheless! He may know more than most from the files that provided a fair bit of leeway for him to evaluate, but a lie that’s directed to him, he won’t tolerate.
The sanctity of truth must be upheld, but, for one to lie even in death goes to show just how deplorable they are, unable to let go of lying in a space where it is fruitless, especially since the only facts present in this void are fates will.
The Storm King wasn’t quite quick on the last part, but when the Captain spat out what he meant, the realization slowly hit the Storm King but came in a dripping succession of dread. What was once the smile that he had at the thought of actually passing, slowly faded as the realization was called out loud…
So, his mind raced to do what he thought to be his second best option, which was to stall for time, and so he decided he might be able to pull the Captain’s heartstrings with a little play. “I- I… I spilled blood on that day! Killed too many for virtues I believed to be just and worthwhile. Y-you can’t just sentence me to fate bygone! You, the Captain of Death, are better than simply that! I am forever soaked in their blood and I knew it. So give me the chance I deserve… Just, let me prove it just once, just a short time alive.”
The captain could only look away, more out of dismissiveness rather than shame on what he was about to do. There were no changing minds as he could see through this ruse, this game of charade that the Storm King had unknowingly played. “You died as you lived, becoming a slave to the illusion of hearsay and knowledge.”
And with wide eyes, the Storm King was only given a few moments to realize his pleads fell to deaf ears, and before he had any chance of protesting further, the Captain pulled his gun and shot the King right there and then. With no time to process what had happened, the Storm King simply fell limp into this empty white void. Devoid of any blood or mess, the Captain could only inspect the clear and dry job he just performed.
“Pity…” he murmured to himself. “But, every man should have a secret carried with him to his gave…”
It wasn’t his problem now, it was beyond what he should care for that matter, it was all part of the jig of being part of the House of Death. Still, the secret of magic should remain a secret, and although the Storm King is beyond his problem now, he was one of the few he knew in recent memory to have been twisted by the illusion of knowledge. Then again, eating the forbidden fruit of knowledge was, in most cases, a guaranteed ticket straight to hell. As they say, don’t fly too close to the sun, less you want to fall.
In honesty, it had been a while since he last met someone who tried to challenge his wits, but the papers he had received as a screening for the Storm King did cover most of his background. The parts that weren’t… well, stated in the records were stricken in black and its contents weren’t something he was able to read, genuine curiosity having loomed over him the entire time. Then again, hundreds of thousands of days spent doing his job had practically molded a back wire protocol in his mind to keep himself in check.
Although the somber mood that had followed after the Captain had quickly dispatched the King made him lonely. Like any other day at the job, he always felt lonely, he had to be alone when he did his job till the end. It was practically a requirement at that point, but damn did he feel like another breath of fresh air could do him some justice…
Maybe, just maybe, he could be doing himself a favor should he decide to visit some old memories.